The Seattle Beer Scene

Beer fan? It’s time to head to the Pacific Northwest. Washington state has over 250 craft breweries and a 2017 study by Datafiniti ranked Seattle as the nation’s #1 beer city. Here’s a quick peek into the history of Seattle beer, with tips on some fan favorites and resources for more information on the Seattle suds scene.

History

Photo by @jeanettable

Seattle has a long history of beer appreciation, dating back to the 19th century. Sometime around 1880, a collection of local beer-related companies and breweries combined to form Rainier Brewing Company. For more than half a century, Rainier brewed the Northwest’s most popular beers. Sadly, it was later sold to Pabst and the Seattle location closed down in 1999. Another similar story happened with Olympia Brewing. While the brand lives with Pabst today, the Seattle location closed down in 2003 after 100 years of beer-making tradition.

These early beers were mostly light lagers since they were brewed in the German style. But sometime in the 1980s, a new trend was emerging: people were taking a more artisanal approach to beer production and making it with higher quality ingredients and in smaller batches. While Redhook was the first microbrewery in Seattle, many also attribute Seattle’s beer growth to Bert Grant and Charles Finkel. Grant came from Yakima Brewing and is credited for developing the Northwest style ale. Finkel ran a beer and wine store and later opened Pike Place Brewery.

In 2017, there were 174 registered breweries in Seattle.

Photo by @mehina_man

Some Notable Seattle Breweries

With almost 200 breweries in the city and close proximity to resources, there are endless options for local beer in the Northwest. There’s even a fresh supply of high-quality local hops nearby in the Yakima Valley. While all local breweries have something great to offer, these are some of the standouts:

Fremont Brewing: A family-owned brewery producing small-batch artisan beers made with local ingredients. They have a heavy focus on sustainability and supporting the community.

Holy Mountain Brewing: Opened in 2009 by two friends, this brewery offers only fresh, seasonal beer. They also use oak wood to ferment and age many of their beers.

Cloudburst Brewing: This newer brewery offers fun beers in a modest environment. The brewery and tasting room is just moments away from Pike Place Market.

Stoup Brewing: This fan-favorite brewery was created by two scientists and a Cicerone. Their open-air beer garden is located in north Seattle.

Elysian Brewing Company: While it isn’t exactly a “craft brewery” anymore (since it was bought by AB InBev), Elysian is still one of Seattle’s many success stories in the craft beer movement. They also run a pumpkin beer festival in October.

Pike Brewing Company: One of the early pioneers of the Seattle beer scene. They’re also our partner for our Birdies & Brews virtual golf and beer tasting event that happens every third Thursday.

David joined Loews Hotels in 2018 with over 15 years' experience in the hospitality industry. He oversees the social media for Loews Coronado Bay, Loews Hotel 1000 Seattle and Loews Regency San Francisco. In his free time, David enjoys exploring the local food scene, learning how to cook, and attending concerts, art shows and theatre events.